I read a weekly email from my granddaughter, Sarah, to the family. She is serving a mission in Arizona. She gets a little frustrated with her missionary contacts from time to time. She described one encounter this way: ”We were…out knocking doors. One door we knocked on, this gruff looking man answers, and as soon as he recognizes who we are, he begins to smile cunningly at us. We ask him if he has faith in Jesus Christ, to which he scoffs, “No!” As the conversation carries on, he laughingly tells us that he doesn’t believe in God, Jesus Christ—nothing. We tried, we really did try to help this man understand the nature of God, but he wouldn’t budge. He told us, among other things, that “I find it half comical and half sad that you believe in this ‘God.’”
You really should think about what you believe, because it’s not true. No one is “watching”’ over you.” His door closed and we walked away.
I know exactly how she felt, because I had a very similar experience happen to me when I was serving as a stake missionary many years ago, only this person led us on like he was sincerely interested in our message until he got tired of playing with us, and then his true spirit came out, and even the room we were in turned cold. His very countenance changed from nice guy to a satanic mocking face that was even a little scary.
There are many wonderful people who are looking for something in life. They don’t know for sure what it is, but many of them recognize the Gospel as the thing they were looking for almost immediately. Those of us that have the Gospel often fail to remember how important a part it plays in our lives. There is a blog on the Internet called: “I Go By Ari.” One of her articles was featured on “LDSLIVING, and I was very impressed with Ari’s positive thinking. This is an excerpt from her brief article entitled How I Realized I’m Living the Gospel Wrong. “…I’m not perfect, but I’m not breaking commandments with reckless abandon…I’m not rebelling against authority, skipping church every week, or treating my covenants lackadaisically…Really, I’m doing quite well… But as I watched Al on the stage, watched the way her eyes lit up and her hands moved and her body bounced up and down on her heels, I realized what I was missing, what I was failing to do. It wasn’t something overwhelming, it wasn’t something that jeopardizes my worthiness, but it was something I’ve stopped doing consciously for awhile now. Something meaningful. I’ve been living the Gospel wrong by not loving it and being excited about it every Single. Day. And today I learned that Heavenly Father hasn’t been too happy with me about it. I’m really good at living my life as if I don’t know the greatest truth that the world can know. I live my life as if I don’t have the answers to life’s hardest questions, as if I haven’t been atoned for, as if I don’t realize my family can be together forever, and as if I don’t have a creator of a universe for a father. Sometimes, I walk around and forget that I am part of a Plan of Happiness and that my prayers are answered. So many don’t have what I have, and yet, I forget to be excited and grateful about it. How can I? Knowing what I know, how can I not be ecstatic every single day of my life? It’s because I forget.” That is precisely how we should all be thinking. But I, too, am really good at living my life as if I don’t have the answers to life’s hardest questions, haven’t been atoned for, don’t realize my family can be together forever, don’t have the creator of the universe for a father, that I am part of a Plan of Happiness and that my prayers are answered. I, too, forget to be excited and grateful about it.” Members of His Church should all testify of its truthfulness with an excitement born of knowledge and spiritual joy.
There are some whose habits and way of life are such that they can’t let anything or anyone else in. They choose to be skeptical about everything, and what they do not realize is that they are also keeping out the greatest knowledge and source of happiness there is. The following poem described how people can choose to believe or choose not to believe.
Some Choose to Believe
April 20, 2014 by MMM
Some choose to believe that this world is all there is—that it happened by some fluke, a coincidence.
Some choose to believe that there is no Supreme Being—no God, nor Creator. No one.
Some choose to believe that we are random—merely here “because.”
Some choose to believe that life is about getting what you can get—and the only rules are those society fabricates for itself.
Some choose to believe that Jesus was a myth—a fantasy conjured up by desperate people.
Some choose to believe there could have been a Jesus—who was a pretty good teacher and philosopher.
Some choose to believe that when they die, it is all over. Forever.
Some choose to believe that they will spend their lives forging bonds with loved ones that will be destroyed at death—never to see their departed loved ones again.
Some choose to believe that they are forever broken—beyond repair.
Some choose to believe that life is a continual struggle—eventually resulting in eternal nothingness.
Some people choose to believe that life is darkness, and meaningless. Some people choose doubt and fear. “I can’t do that.
I choose to believe.
I choose to believe that there is a God, who is the Father of my Spirit. And He loves me.
I choose to believe that everything around us, including us, is part of His design for our eternal happiness.
I choose to believe that He has established a way of living that can ensure our return home to Him.
I choose to believe that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth, to show us that way of living.
I choose to believe that Jesus Christ was more than a teacher or philosopher. He came as the Savior of all mankind. Amazingly, that includes me.
I choose to believe that He willingly gave His life, and came alive again, clothed in glory and immortality.
I choose to believe that because of this, Jesus broke the chains of death, and that every person that has lived on this earth will be reunited with their body—clothed in glory and immortality.
I choose to believe that I will again see my mother, father, brother who left this life years ago. We will be reunited.
I choose to believe that even though I am broken, I am not beyond repair—the Savior can mend me through the power of His great atoning sacrifice.
I choose to believe that the pain, anguish, bitterness, suffering , grief, guilt and horrors of this life can be swallowed up by His atoning sacrifice—if I am but willing to accept His offer.
I choose to believe that life can be filled with joy and light. The light which chases away the darkness.
I choose to believe that there is a point to this life. A meaning.
I choose to believe in hope.
I choose to believe that hope, joy, meaning and light only exist because of, and through, my Savior, Jesus Christ.
I choose to praise Him, and worship Him.
I, too, choose to believe and that belief is the source of my greatest happiness in life.